Bizarre Trade Proposal for J.J. McCarthy Emerges
Unless the Minnesota Vikings drastically reverse course, quarterback J.J. McCarthy will lead the franchise in 2025.
Bizarre Trade Proposal for J.J. McCarthy Emerges
All signs point to the 22-year-old taking the QB1 reins in 2025, especially because Minnesota has allowed Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and Nick Mullens to leave in free agency — all quarterbacks from the 2024 depth chart.
But another theory has emerged this week, courtesy of FOX Sports‘ Nick Wright — McCarthy could be shipped to the Los Angeles Chargers for quarterback Justin Herbert.
The Theory from Nick Wright
The idea? Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh might want his college quarterback in Tinseltown. The two won a National Championship together in 2023.
Wright argued, “The Vikings should quietly call the Chargers. Be like, ‘Hey, Jim Harbaugh, this guy J.J. McCarthy, who you said was the best quarterback you ever coached, the best quarterback in your draft, will give you him and our first-round pick, and we’ll take Justin Herbert.”
It’s worth noting that this isn’t necessarily a “rumor.” Instead, a pundit advanced the idea that “the Vikings ought to do this.”
“The contract is tradable. Kevin O’Connell clearly thinks Darnold’s not good enough, which I agree with him. Jim Harbaugh, could really do the whole Michigan thing with a cheap quarterback, not have the obligation to run the ball or to pass the ball a ton,” Wright added.
The Chargers’ Would-Be Motivation
Evidently, Harbaugh would reunite with McCarthy — who he adores — and Herbert would lead Minnesota for the next 5-10 years. Herbert’s reputation isn’t totally sterling right now after another frustrating playoff appearance and loss two months ago.
Wright insists the contract is “tradable,” but the Chargers would eat about $95 million in dead cap before June 1st, which does not feel like wise roster-planning. Otherwise, the clubs could hold off on a trade until after June 1st, when the dead money would check in around $22 million for Los Angeles (with plenty more coming in 2026).
The Wright recommendation, though, would reset the clock in Los Angeles with McCarthy’s extreme youth and Harbaugh’s partnership, while Minnesota would embrace a proven commodity in Herbert. Few doubt head coach Kevin O’Connell’s ability to make the program hum with Herbert.
Why the Theory Is Bizarre
Anything is possible, but Minnesota likely would’ve already pulled the trigger by now on a Herbert trade — if it were real in the first place.
FantasyLife‘s Thor Nystrom opined on the hypothetical trade this week, “If a Herbert thing was gonna happen, it would’ve happened before free agency. Even if you could fit it on the books this year, you’d be lighting them on fire beyond that. Vikings spending does not jive that transaction. They’ve spent with 4 years of rookie QB contract assumed.”
Moreover, Minnesota did not draft McCarthy 11 months ago on a whim. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has carefully and methodically planned for his organization to arrive at this juncture — employing a promising rookie signal-caller on an affordable contract for five years.
Trading for Herbert would totally reverse the strategy, forcing the purple team to contend for a Super Bowl with one of the league’s most expensive passers. The idea feels counterintuitive, particularly after offloading expensive would-be contracts for Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold in back-to-back offseasons.
An Offseason of McCarthy Trade Rumors
From the moment the Vikings lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs two months ago, folks have wondered if Minnesota would retain Sam Darnold or green-light the McCarthy era.
Correspondingly, McCarthy has represented a faux trade candidate from a national media perspective, with teams like the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and Las Vegas Raiders allegedly as landing spots.
As of late, Aaron Rodgers rumors, too, have overtaken the Vikings discourse. It’s relentless.
In February, McCarthy made one request for the offseason, speaking with Rich Eisen: he just wants his chance to lead the franchise.
“There’s a lot of things that are certainly above my pay grade and some things above his pay grade,” McCarthy replied when asked about his teammate Sam Darnold’s impending free agency.
McCarthy told Eisen, “All I could ask for is a fair opportunity. That’s the one thing I feel like everybody’s given and it’s fundamental. When money gets involved, things get complicated and reps get skewed and there’s different things that come into the whole political world that everyone talks about. I really just have to focus on controlling what I can control.”
All the guy wants to do is lead the Vikings, the team that drafted him. Trade conjecture just isn’t realistic.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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